West Ham vs Portsmouth LIVE commentary: Kick-off time, team news and where to watch Carabao Cup tie

English football gets back underway this week with some Carabao Cup action, and plenty of eyes will be on West Ham.

In a shake up to things, the first round of the competition is being held before the EFL kickstarts their new campaign, meaning clubs will get one last test drive ahead of the league season.

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Among the pick of the ties is West Ham’s clash with Portsmouth, as the Championship rivals meet at the London Stadium.

The Hammers saw their 14-year stay in the Premier League brought to an end in heartbreaking fashion last term, suffering relegation on the final day as Tottenham stayed up instead.

Now, Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side are bidding to bounce back at the first time of asking, and will want to kick things off with a cup win.

As for Portsmouth, they secured their Championship status with two games to spare last season, ultimately finishing 18th.

Pompey are now gearing up for a third straight season in the second tier, and will surely welcome a strong Carabao Cup run, having been knocked out in the first round of the 2025/26 edition.

West Ham vs Portsmouth: talkSPORT coverage

This Carabao Cup first round tie will take place on Saturday, August 8, with kick-off at the London Stadium set for 3pm.

talkSPORT 2 will have live coverage of the game, with Natalie Sawyer presenting the action in east London.

Commentary will come from Joe Shennan, and former Colchester and Southampton winger Perry Groves.

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The all-Championship clash will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports, with all of Saturday’s 3pm kick-offs available on Sky Sports+

West Ham vs Portsmouth: Team news

West Ham’s biggest boost of the summer was captain Jarrod Bowen pledging his future to the club for their Championship campaign.

After penning a new deal, Bowen is set to lead his side out against Portsmouth, but Tomas Soucek is out with an ankle injury.

Summer signing Keiber Lamadrid could start for the Irons after making his loan move from Venezuelan outfit Deportivo La Guaira permanent earlier in the transfer window.

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One man who won’t be featuring is Freddie Potts, with the academy graduate leaving to join Belgian champions Club Brugge just days before the Carabao Cup opener.

Potts’ exit saw him join Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes as the Hammers’ departing players this summer.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth have welcomed six new arrivals this summer, who will be hoping to make their competitive debut on Saturday.

Odin Bailey, Eoin Kenny, Luke Brooke-Smith, Daniel Bielica, Rocco SHein and Marko Milovanovic make up John Mousinho’s summer signings at Fratton Park.

Harvey Blair and Josh Murphy are injury concerns ahead of the West Ham clash, after the pair missed Pompey’s final pre-season clash.

Captain Marlon Pack and Connor Ogilvie will both miss the cup tie after both underwent knee surgery this summer, with Mark Kosznovszky and Jacob Farrell also long-term absentees.

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West Ham vs Portsmouth: Pre-season results

West Ham rounded off their season’s preparations with a 1-1 draw against German second tier outfit FC Magdeburg.

They played out a goalless draw with Scottish giants Rangers and thrashed League One Stevenage 5-0 in other friendlies, after also tying 1-1 with Southend in mid July.

As for Portsmouth, they also ended pre-season with a draw against German opposition, as their meeting with SV Darmstadt ended 0-0.

Pompey have struggled for results this summer, winning just one of their friendly fixtures – 2-1 win over National League side Woking.

The south coast outfit have played out draws with non league outfit Farnborough and League Two Bristol Rovers, while they were beaten 2-0 by fifth-tier Aldershot, and lost 3-1 to Wycombe Wanderers.